Does the Teaching/Learning Interview Provide an Accurate Snapshot of Classroom Learning?

Abstract. The teaching/learning interview has been used to investigate student learning. The aim of the teaching/learning interview is to model a natural learning environment while allowing more direct access to a student’s or group’s thinking and reasoning. The interview typically involves one to four students working with a researcher/interviewer while being audio and video recorded. It has previously been reported [1] that the data collected in a teaching/learning interview is richer in detail than data collected in an actual classroom. We investigated the possibility that there were also other differences between these formats. We used the same instructional materials as well as pre-, mid- and post-tests in a teaching/learning interview and in a classroom laboratory setting. We will describe how the data collected in these two settings compare